I don't know how much money it takes a podcast to support itself but I imagine it's still heaps cheaper than, say, your average billboard or 30-second TV spot.
I figure that a basic podcast probably needs around $50,000 per year to support itself, if a single full-time person is doing all of the research and engineering (including coordinating ads) and paying for the servers. That comes to about $1,000 per episode of a weekly podcast. Harry's would have to sell a lot of razor blades to justify $1,000 per episode -- or even $250 an episode, if there are four ad spots.
A higher-end podcast with a real engineer, research assistants, producer, etc. could easily double or quadruple that figure. Some podcasts are undoubtedly cheaper, being done in somebody's spare time, but most of the ones I listen to (and I listen to a lot of them) involve significant research.
A higher-end podcast with a real engineer, research assistants, producer, etc. could easily double or quadruple that figure. Some podcasts are undoubtedly cheaper, being done in somebody's spare time, but most of the ones I listen to (and I listen to a lot of them) involve significant research.